Improvement in wrenches



W. BRITT-ON.

WRENCH. .No.178,8e,3.v Patented June 20,187@V www@ drawings.

' NTTED STATES PATENT QFFIon.A

WALTER BRITTON, OF ELMORE, ILLINOIS.

IMPRoi/EMENT IN WRENCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 178,833, dated June 20, 1876; application filed February 1, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER BRITTON, of

Elmore, county of Peoria, and State of Illinois,-

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operaA tion of the same, reference-being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a wrench embodying my invention. nal central .sectional view, and Fig.- 3 is a transverse section on the line a: a: in Figpl.

rIhe nature ot' my invention relates to im'- provelnents in wrenches;l and consists in pivoting a pawl and an attached spring directly to a jaw ot' a wrench, which slides onA the ratchet-shank of the other jaw ot' the wrench, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Letter A in the drawings represents the shank, having a fixed jaw, B, on one end, and a handle, C, on the other, thejaw B and handle C of ordinary construction, and the shank A notched on its back or upper side and one end to form ratchet-teeth a. D is the sliding` jaw, having a perforation, d, which tits snugly but loosely over the shank A, and has also a slot, e, in its heel end, between which slot and the mortise d there is a portion of solid metal, fl. E is a pawl, pivoted at c' in the slot e at one end, and its other end extending back and curved downward, as plainly shown in the F is a spring, attached at one end to the outer or free end ot the pawl E, and its other end extending back and into a space somewhat deeper than the thickness of the spring, and between the pawl E and the p0r- Fig. 2 is a longitudi` tion d of the sliding jaw. The end ofthe steel spring F may extend past the end of the pawl E, and form a steel point forthe same, where where it engages with the ratchet a.

The operation of my wrench is very simple. By pressure at the end D ot' the sliding jaw Dit may be readily and easily moved toward the fixed jaw B, and when said pressure is removed the spring F, keeping the pawl E engaged Withthe ratchetsa, will prevent the jaw sliding backward when applied in use, the arrangement of the parts being such, also, that but little strain comes on the pawl or spring in operation, but comes mainly on the sides of the mortisc d, adjacent to the ratchet side, and its opposite side ofthe shank. The position of the spring F is such (beneath the pawl) as to protect it.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The sliding jaw D, having perforation d and slot e, in combination with pawl E, having a butt narrower than the depth of slot e, and pivoted to head of jaw D, spring F, attached to pawl E, and ratchetshank A, carrying jaw B, as and for the purpose set forth. l"

2. The combination of pawl E, having spring F attached to its under side andtoward its engaging-point, with sliding jaw D, the pawl and jaw being directly pivoted together, and ratchet-shank A, as and for the purpose set forth.

Witnesses JNO. DoYLE, y SYLVESTER vORAvENs.

WALTER BRITTON. 

